Trump: Afghanistan Safer Than Some US Inner Cities

Donald Trump promised to "rebuild inner cities" at a rally on Tuesday

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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at High Point University, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, in High Point, North Carolina.

Donald Trump promised to "rebuild our inner cities" at a rally on Tuesday, telling a North Carolina crowd that “places like Afghanistan are safer than some of our inner cities.”

Violent crime in American cities is expected to rise by 5.5 percent in 2016, according to New York University's Brennan Center. According to the United Nations, 5,166 civilians were killed or maimed in Afghanistan during the first six months of the year. Trump did not back up his comparison with statistics.

In an effort to win African American communities, Trump has recently pitched himself as the candidate to vote for those who have nothing to lose, NBC News reported.

Despite exaggerating disparities in black communities -- lack of quality education, safety concerns, absence of jobs -- Trump has made minor gains. An ABC/Washington Post poll average from August to September showed Trump polling at five percent with African Americans, compared to previous zero or one percent.

Trump Booed Leaving New York Times

President Elect Donald Trump is booed as he walks through the lobby of The New York Times Building after a 75-minute meeting with Times journalists. The lobby of the Times building is open to the public, and a large crowd had gathered by the time he departed.